Chinese Food and Graduation
by SamCyberCat
Summary: After seven years of not seeing Luke, for whatever reason the one thing that comes back to the professor's mind when he does was that he liked Chinese food. Layton/Luke.


Notes – Written for Karnimolly, though it ended up being a lot less AU than what she originally wanted. Sorry about that. Set seven years after the third game, containing spoilers for that game and disregarding the letter that Luke sent Layton at the end of it. Also, if the Layton/Luke pairing bothers you then please don't comment flaming me, thanks.

* * *

There's nothing quite as unsettling as seeing someone you used to be close friends with for the first time in seven years.

It's a combination of things. You'd like for it to be entirely nostalgia, but at the same time there's the worry that they might have changed, the nerves that you'll be meeting them in a place that you are completely unfamiliar with but they will consider their home turf, and then there's the underlying sense of constant guilt that you haven't seen them at all before now. You wanted to give them space but at the same time you're worried they'll think you abandoned them.

There were so many times that they had shared together, so many things they knew about one another, and yet for some reason the one thing that came forward in Layton's blank mind when he saw Luke again was – he liked Chinese food, right?

He didn't even know why it had been that.

Luke had mentioned that he liked it briefly while they were in the underground London but the more that came back to him the more obvious it was that Luke just liked food, full stop.

And yet somehow his blurting out about Chinese food had resulted in the two of them eating in what Luke assured him was the cheapest and best Chinese restaurant on this side of town. If there had been any thought in Layton's mind about Luke's appetite having decreased in the past seven years it was quickly squashed by the amount the boy seemed to be putting away right now.

On the bright side, at least he hadn't been wrong about the Chinese food.

"So, I suppose your studies are going well," he commented, looking at his own plate. Honestly, he didn't really feel all that hungry. Especially since Luke seemed able to eat enough for both of them.

Between chewing, Luke replied, "Yeah, their almost finished though. Then I might be comin' back t' London. I miss 'er terribly, professah, she's a great city. But… I'm not sure 'bout leavin' my parents."

Ignoring that he'd spent most of his childhood running around on adventures with the professor away from his parents, apparently.

"A gentleman does not talk with his mouth full," Layton said, before he could stop himself.

There was a smirk on Luke's face, a sort of grin that Layton had never seen him use before.

"But a gentlem'n's not been around to teach me otherwise, 'as 'e?" Luke answered.

"I should hope that manners are something that you don't need prompting to make use of," insisted Layton.

With that almost annoying smirk still in tact, Luke said, "You really 'aven't changed a bit, professah."

Layton wished that he could say the same for Luke. He'd been roughly thirteen when he'd left, so it wasn't surprising that in the seven years that had gone past he had changed a lot physically. He'd grown from a child into a fine young man with a slim build and yet when he opened his mouth the words that came out of it were exactly the sort of things that Luke would have said back then. Albeit with a tone that suggested he knew more of what he was talking about now.

If not as an apprentice then Layton would gladly have asked Luke to come back to London as an assistant. He just hadn't found the words to put it in yet.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Luke, who'd gone on to say, "So, I'm guessin' you didn't come all the way 'ere just t' treat me t' dinnah."

"No, although the pleasure is all mine," Layton agreed, "What I came here for… I came here to…"

He was caught off guard by the way Luke was staring across at him. That particular smile was gone and had been replaced with a look of wide-eyed curiosity that was not alien from the sort of look he'd often given the professor when he was younger. Seeing that expression on an older Luke was unsettling somehow in ways that he couldn't quite place.

However, he had an image of confidence to uphold in Luke's eyes and stammering like this certainly wasn't helping with that.

Catching himself, he continued, "My visit does concern your education, to be truthful. It wasn't unknown to me that you're almost finished your course and I'd… been discussing the matter with your father. You're now old enough to make your own choices, my boy, so if you would so like I would have no objections to taking you back to London. Asking you in person seemed more appropriate then sending a letter would have done."

"Professah…"

Luke swallowed what he had been chewing hard.

"…You'd really want that?" he said, sounding as if he couldn't believe it.

"Of course," Layton answered, then quickly added, "But if it wasn't what you wanted I'd never pressure you into doing so. It's just for you to know that the option is there should you so wish to take it."

"I can't believe you'd need t' ask," Luke said, and then he started laughed. And for some reason the sight of him laughing in such a carefree manner calmed the professor's nerves a lot. Without even realising it he was chuckling slightly himself. A few of the nearby tables were giving them odd looks, but neither of them cared much at this moment.

The meal went on without much more call for attention. It was fortunate that it had been an all-you-can-eat buffet; otherwise Layton's wallet would have met the same fate it had done back on the Molentary Express. He disapproved of Luke even managing to have some ice cream when he'd finished, but it was a fond disapproval.

The boy walked ahead of him out into the open air when they were done, before turning sharply and asking, "So wot made you choose Chinese food anyway?"

"Hm? Ah, well, I remember you mentioning that you liked it," replied Layton indifferently.

"You remembahed somethin' I'd said briefly years ago?" Luke went on, "I don't ev'n think I can remembah sayin' that now."

"That is what a true friend does, is it not?" Layton commented.

"You're… you're somethin' else, professah," said Luke, fondly. There was the smile that Layton was more familiar with from him back in place.

"Perhaps, but honestly in your case choosing any sort of food would have been a safe bet," Layton teased.

"That's not true! I'll 'ave you know that I've matured a lot in my appetite!" Luke argued.

"You weren't demonstrating it back there then," countered Layton, laughing a little.

Pouting, Luke said, "Maybe I just didn't want t' seem rude when you'd treated me t' it."

"I'm sure that was the case," Layton said, not believing him at all.

"Well then, maybe you just caught me a day when I 'and't eaten all morning or maybe you just picked my favourite or-"

"…Or maybe you could come back to England with me and eat whatever you like without having to make excuses," finished Layton.

For a moment, Luke froze.

"Um, yeah… or maybe I could do that," he agreed.

That had been pretty bold for the professor, but somehow this new Luke was prompting him to act in new ways.

"So, for the sake of having a definite answer…?" Layton went on.

"You c'n count on it," Luke said awkwardly, "Heck, if you were there when I graduated I'd prob'bly go back with you without even packin', you know that."

"While I will be there to witness your graduation I will be sure you've prepared better than that before we leave," replied Layton, watching the way Luke's face changed when he said that he'd be present.

His professor was actually going to watch him graduate.

On Layton's side of things there was no way he'd miss seeing his apprentice complete his education. He was possibly even more proud of the boy than his family was – having watched him grow from being completely dependant on him to making his own way through the path of life without help from someone else.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Luke mumbled quietly.

"The honour will be all mine," Layton assured, patting Luke on the shoulder.

This small touch, while not something either of them would have been strangers to seven years earlier, seemed to spark something off in both of them. The professor quickly pulled his hand away and neither of them made eye contact.

"Well, ah, it's late. We should probably head back to the house," Layton managed.

"Okay, professah," Luke agreed, still not looking at him.

There were changes between them. A lot of them. And there were probably going to be more to come.

But at least, for the first time in many years, they'd be facing those changes together.


End file.
